7 Euro Standards and Permitted Motor Vehicle Emission Limits

SOLO, KOMPAS.com - The Euro emission standard is a regulation established to limit pollutant levels from motor vehicles in Europe. This regulation has been continuously updated from Euro 0 to Euro 7 in line with growing awareness of the importance of air quality.

Jayan Sentanuhady, a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), stated that the Euro standards actually began with Euro 0, which was applied to new cars in 1991.

“At this stage, particulate emissions (PM) for diesel cars were not yet limited, with a maximum NOx of 1,600 mg/km, while for petrol cars NOx was limited to 1,000 mg/km,” Jayan told KOMPAS.com on Sunday (26/4/2026).

Euro 2 was introduced in 1996 with stricter emission limits. There was a significant reduction in CO and combined HC+NOx, making vehicles more environmentally friendly than before.

“Euro 3 came into effect in 2000 and marked an important point because particulate emissions (PM) for diesel began to be addressed,” said Jayan.

“Like in Indonesia, we are currently at the Euro 4 stage, and Euro 5 is still being pushed for implementation,” added Jayan.

In Europe, Euro 5 arrived in 2009 with drastic tightening, particularly on diesel particulate emissions. At this stage, the use of diesel particulate filters (DPF) became common to suppress emissions.

Under Euro 6, the NOx limit for diesel was reduced to around 80 mg/km and particulates to about 5 mg/km. Technologies such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and AdBlue began to be widely used.

“To date, Euro 7 already exists, starting from April 2026, with this latest standard planned to apply around 2025 to 2027. This standard not only regulates exhaust gas emissions but also particles from brakes and tyres,” said Jayan.

In general, each increase in the Euro standard is always accompanied by a significant reduction in emission limits. This encourages vehicle manufacturers to continuously develop cleaner and more efficient technologies.

In conclusion, the Euro 1 to Euro 7 standards aim to reduce air pollution and its impacts on health. The higher the standard, the lower the emissions produced, but it also demands better fuel quality and maintenance.